CHAPTER 391: SELECTING PEOPLE (PART-1)

"Thank you, Master Apollo." Thomas quickly feeling excited thanked for the opportunity. He was sure Master Apollo was a very terrifying figure that even Void gods cannot be compared to; otherwise, such a transformation wouldn’t happen within him.

After that, Apollo left with the two.

He didn’t ask Thomas from where the young master came from and what his story was. They steadily made their way towards the Titanbone clan.

Together, they steadily made their way toward the Titanbone Clan, leaving the people at the outpost shocked. Even the two hidden half-gods were also alarmed when Thomas broke through, but they didn’t come forward.

Some time later Apollo and the other two appeared at the border of the Titanbone Clan’s territory.

A vast land where bone-coloured spires pierced the sky and ancient presence lingered in the wind like the whispers of sleeping giants.

As Apollo and his two companions stepped through the gates of the Titanbone Clan’s border city, a vast and chaotic world opened before them.

The towering stone walls, carved with ancient runes, gave way to a sprawling city teeming with movement. The streets were wide and packed—not with common folk, but with figures exuding strength, danger, and ambition. It was a convergence of the North’s most feared and famed: vicious criminals, rogue cultivators, famed clans, mercenary warbands, and rising prodigies.

The air itself buzzed with tension and ambition.

Even the sky above seemed to bear the pressure of so many powerful auras gathered in one place.

Thomas’s expression darkened slightly. "This is the northern continent’s underbelly," he murmured. "Every third person you see is either a killer, a fallen genius, or someone who’s walked out of a thousand bloodbaths."

Apollo’s eyes swept the crowd—cold and steady.

A giant of a man, clad in black chains with a bare chest covered in strange tattoos, walked past, dragging a massive coffin on his back. On his shoulder, a severed head dangled like a trophy. His eyes met Apollo’s for a moment and then quickly turned away, sensing something unfathomable.

Further down the street, a group of hooded figures with bone masks sat at a tavern terrace, watching passersby with idle menace. A massive beast—something like a frost-scaled lion—lay at their feet like a tame cat, but with glowing eyes and much more.

"Everyone’s here for the same reason," Thomas muttered, his voice low. "To curry favour with the Titanbone Clan... or to fight for a spot in the coming worshipping ceremony."

Apollo glanced at him. "What’s the matter with this worshipping ceremony?"

Thomas nodded, his expression a mix of awe and unease. "Once every fifty years, the Titanbone Clan selects a group to enter the ancestral altar and offer blood and battle. It’s said to be a rite that awakens ancient inheritance... and sometimes even a bloodline resonance. If you’re chosen—if you survive—you might inherit a Titan Mark or gain access to one of their ancient bone temples."

He added quietly, "And of course, it was originally meant for only for their own clan but this time it was for some reason opened for all and that’s why half the continent’s forces show up to try their luck to see whether it was true... or die trying."

The noise around them seemed to blur into a low hum as Apollo took it all in. Shouts, laughter, and the distant clang of weapons echoed through the border city, but his eyes were sharp—taking in every faction, every aura, and every hidden blade behind a smiling face.

"Sounds fun." He thought after knowing about the worshipping ceremony. And for being a participant, he didn’t think about it. At his current strength such competition didn’t mean much, but he can select some talented subordinates for his organisation, on Rion.

He didn’t need to find them around the northern continent and could find them in a single place.

Thomas gave a wry smile. "Only you would call something like that fun, Master Apollo. For most people, it’s a great opportunity filled with blood with a sliver of hope at the end."

As they walked deeper into the Titanbone border city, the streets grew denser, buzzing with tension.

A large bulletin board stood at the plaza’s centre, surrounded by warriors and spectators. A gigantic drum was placed for the challengers for the upcoming "Worship Ceremony Trials."

"That’s where the first stage begins," Thomas said, halting beside the crowd. "That drum—it’s a divine item called the War God Drum. It’s used to test the strength of challengers. The more times someone can strike it hard enough to produce sound, the stronger their power is believed to be."

The first challenge had already been going on for months as the war god drum was used for selecting the elite among the warriors, and only those who made five thunderous sounds cleared the first round of selection. So Apollo calmly started to watch these challengers and see if any of them are worth becoming his subordinates.

The crowd murmured as another contestant stepped forward—a woman wrapped in dark-red battle robes attracting the crowd. She let out a sharp breath and unleashed a fierce palm strike. The drum shook.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM... BOOM.

As it reached the fourth thunderclap, it quickly shocked the crowd, but it wasn’t the end.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The drum let out seven deep, echoing thunderclaps—each one heavier than the last, like a war god pounding against the sky.

The onlookers went dead silent.

"That’s... seven strikes," Thomas muttered, his eyes widening. The crowd, even the people from Titanbone, also showed surprised expressions. Even within their clan, there aren’t many that can produce seven strikes.

It was surprising, as the girl appeared to be neither from some large clan nor any other forces; she was truly a dark horse. Although it wasn’t the strongest performance seen by them, after a month of screening, only a few people have achieved the same result.

And most of them were either from big clans or had powerful masters backing them up. Only two others just like her came out of nowhere and became powerful contenders.

"Ohh." Apollo also felt a bit interested as he felt a quite unique kind of aura around her. It was the law of infinite that could help her increase or decrease all kinds of her attacks. It can even boost other laws, making it a very comprehensive and strong law.

This was a very rare rule with difficulty rivalling that of law-like space. So, this naturally attracted his attention.